Sunday, May 10, 2009

Babe and Me

Babe and Me

Written by Dan Gutman

Publisher: Avon Books, Inc., 2000

ISBN #: 0-380-97739-7

Summary:

Joe Stoshack has the ability to travel back in time to get to meet some of the greatest baseball players who ever played the game. He uses that ability to travel back to 1932, to learn once and for all if Babe Ruth actually called his shot during Game Three of the 1932 World Series. During his visit, Joe observes first hand the after effects of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt's presidency campaign, and observes events important to World War II.

My Thoughts About This Book:

This was my third book to read in Dan Gutman's "Baseball Card Adventure" series. While I have enjoyed them all, I have to say that so far, this one is my favorite. I like how Gutman blends both baseball and the history and culture of the time period Joe travels to. Not only does the reader learn facts about the Babe, but important events that shaped America's history as well. I love how Gutman uses historical photographs and memorabilia from the time period as well. These elements help students picture people and places in each novel that otherwise might cause comprehension problems as they tried to picture moments that happened before they were born. Gutman has researched each time period and baseball great to help create an accurate picture of events to further aid the reader in understanding characters and historic events. This book was compelling and hard to put down as I read. I look forward to reading even more in this series.

Review Excerpts:

From School Library Journal: "The book does evoke the importance of a sports hero to an America mired in the depths of the Depression. An enjoyable escape into another decade."